Safety signal system.



PATBNTBD APR. 4, 1905. F; DORNBBRGER & F. RBISSMANN.

SAFETY SIGNAL SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 13. 1904.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

No. 786,736. PATENTBD APR.\4','1905.

, F. DORNBERGBR & F. REISSMANN.'

SAFETY SIGNAL SYSTEM.

APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 13. 1904;

a SHEETS-SHEET 2.

, Nonsense.; n l PATE-NED APR.4,1905. E. DORNBERGBR L P; REISSMANN.

lSAFETY SIGNAL SYSTEM.I 'APPLICATION FILED AUG.13,*1904.

s SHEETS-MEET 3.

(f1/vn.

:Menger No. 'reared l I FRANK DoRNRERGER AND Patented April 4, 1905'.

PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK REIssMANN, oF wEsTFoINT,

NEW YORK.

SAFETY SIGNAL SYSTEM.,

SPECIFICATION forming, part f Letters Patent NO. 786,736, dated April.4, 19057.

Application filed August 13, 1904. Serial No. 220,624.

To @ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that we, FRANK DORNBERGER Y and FREDERICK RErssMANN,citizens of the United States, residing at Westpoint, in the county ofOrange and State of New York, .have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Safety Signal Systems and we do hereby declare'thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same.

Our invention relates to an automatic safety signaling system; and itconsists of cer-` tain novel features of construction and arrangementor'combination of parts the preferred character or form whereof will beherey inafter'clearly set forth, -it being understood .for a trainA topass Vby a signal, as a semaphore set at danger-point, without theknowledge of the person or persons in the cab of the locov motive orInotor. l

signal of the usual or any preferred construction. r

' In the detailed description hereinafter presented the various elementsof our invention and cooperating accessories will be referred' to bynumerals, the same numeral applying to a similar part throughout theseveral views, and, referring to the numerals on the drawings, 1designates a semaphore signaling post or support upon which thesemaphore 2 is pivotally mounted Vyin the usual or any preferred way andVcooperatively disposed, in combination with the weighted lever 3usually employed to normally hold the semaphore 'at danger-point or in ahorizontal plane, a

weight 4 being provided for this purpose, as is common. Thesemaphore-signal 2 is controlled in the usual manner, als-by the rod orwire 4, 'extending downward in engagement with the bell-crank-5, mountedin any preferred way at the bottom of the post, a branch of thebell-crank being connected with the rod or wire 6, leading to thewatch-tower or other point Where the attendant'is located, all beingaccomplished substantially in the usual or any preferred manner. lncarrying out our invention, however, we pivot `the controllingbell-crank to the end of the shaft 7, which latter is mounted insuitable bearings 8, carried by the base member or block 9, anchored atthe base of the post 1, as upon the end of a cross-tie 10, whereby thearm 11 may be rigidly secured to the inner end of said shaft. The arm 11is secured upon the shaft 7 in such a way that when the .signal 2 isdisposed in a horizontal plane .or

at danger said arm will be disposed vertically, and therefore inposition to be directly in the path of the bell-crank or otherequivalent device carried by the locomotive or on some suitable part ofthe train, the office of said arm 11 being to operate said bellcrank ordevice in a manner hereinafter set forth. In the present instance wehave shown y ingly mounted, as in apertures in the ends of the brackets19 and 20, connected to any suitable part oi the framework. The shalt orrod 18 is held normally upward by properly mounting a compression orother form of spring between said brackets, as indicated by the numeral21. The upper end of the shaft 18 is properly shaped to allord a supportfor the end of the controlling-lever r crank-arm 22, said arm beingprovided with an adjustable weight 23 or equivalent device whereby saidweight will be utilized to rotate or partially turn the shaft 2a whenthe support for the outer end of the arm 22 is removed, as .is the casewhen the shaft 1S is drawn downward as a result of the bell-crank arm 12being brought into contact with the arm 11 incident to the passing ofthe train.

l/Ve have provided means for utilizing the rotation of the shalt 24 thusinduced by the release of the arm 22 lor the purpose of aecomplishingthree very desirable and impor-- tant results-that is to say, the sha'lt24 'First operates a valve 25 in the upper end ol the pipe 26, whichlatter is an air-pipe communi-- eating with the automatic brake system--and it is obvious that when the valve 25 is opened by a partial rotationof the shaft 24 the air will beallowed to escape, and thus disturb theequilibrium in the air-brake system and cause an'instantaneousapplication ol` the brakes. cape of' the air by opening the valve 25 toblow a whistle 27, or other form ol signal might be used, as apneuinatically-operated bell, @s i A 'further desirable and importantresult We accomplish by the rotation or partial rotation ol thecontrolling-shaft 24 is to operate the valve 28, whereby we entirely eutoill further flow ot steam from the boiler through the pipe 29, leadingto the throttlevalve, the result being substantially anautomatieally-controlled throttle for the locomotive.

It will be clearly obvious that instead of employing the shaft 24 tooperate the throttle-valve, as would be required upon the locomotive,said shaft may be connected in any preferred Way with any suitableswitching device, as when an electric motor is employed, whereby thecurrent will be entirely out oli.

It is thought from the foregoing description that the construction andcombination of parts or elements constituting our invention will be madeclearly apparent, though it may be stated that the operation is asfollows: W hen the semaphore is occupying a horizontal position, or atIdanger, it is obvious that the arm 11 will be disposed in a verticalplane, and therefore directly in the path of the branch 12 of thebell-crank, the result being that the contact between the arm 11 and thebell-crank will instantly overcome the tension o'l` the spring 21 anddraw Secondly, we utilize the esthe shaft 1S downward, leaving theweighted arm 22 to partially rotate the sha'l t 24, the result beingthat the air in the brake system will be allowed to escape through thewhistle, producing the warning and at the saineI time instantly settingthe brakes, and, furthermore, at the same moment the steam in the pipe29 or other source of energy will be entirely cut olf, thus, in elleet,automatically closing the throttle-valve and insuring that the trainwill be stopped in the shortest possible space. The object of' thewarning-whis tle or equivalent device is to make the engineer aware thathe is passing a signal set at danger, as in the case of heavy log, or toawaken him it it is fairly presumed he would ever sleep at his post ollduty. ln ease ol disability ot the engineer for any canse thewarning-signal, as from the whistles 27, would communicate the situationat once to the lireman or other attendant and lall l'or his attention.lt would therefore be praetically impossible 'l'or the train to get pasta signal set at danger and would therefore prevent the train fromentering in upon a block of the traetnvay without full knowledge of thedanger resulting 'from such trespassing.

Believing that the construction and manner of using our invention havethus been made clearly apparent, 'further relmenee to the details isdeemed unnecessary.

lllhat we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

rlhe herein-described safety signaling system comprising the combinationof a semaphore or other signal 2; an arm l l vertically disposed nearthe trackway and operatively connected with said signal whereby when thesignal is at dangerH said arm will be vertically disposed andhorizontally disposed when the signal is moved out o'f` danger; suitablevalves; a common controlling-slni'l't 2l 'for said valves; suitableintermediate controlling devices between said shalt and the arm 11whereby il" said arm is disposed in the pathway of said controllingdevices the shalt 24 will be partially turned to sinnlltaneously operatesaid valves, thereby cutting oll` the source et power leading to thetlnottle-valve or controller and also open the air-pipe. leading to thebraking system and suitable means as a whistle designed to utilize theescape ol the air all combined substantially as speciiied and lor thepurpose set forth.

ln testimony whereof we have signed our names to this spcciiieation inthe presence ol' two subscribing witnesses.

FRANK DORNBlllGllR. FRElllGltlCK ltlClSSM AN N Witnesses FRANCISMii'rnnws, RELDA A. Smau.

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